Admitted to Kellogg, Haas, and Stern (w/scholarship) - Part 1

Question

http://myessayreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Tanu-thumbnail.png

Growing up in Rajasthan, Tanu discovered her love for problem-solving early, which led her to pursue a B.Tech. in Computer Science from Shri Padampat Singhania University (2015). In less than a decade, she progressed from intern to Manager, earning multiple fast-track promotions and leading teams of up to 11 across India and the U.S.

Over six months, we applied to four schools. She took the GMAT twice without improving her score, then  s witched to the  GRE  and earned a  311 . As the score didn’t improve, we moved her applications to  Round 3  and focused on strengthening every other part of her profile.
 
 Tanu’s perseverance, hard work, and faith in a higher power, combined with our strategic guidance, earned her  three admits :  Berkeley Haas ,  NYU Stern  (with a  $15K scholarship ), and her dream program,  Kellogg MBAi , where she will enroll this fall.

Tanu’s results challenge several  common MBA admissions myths . She achieved these admits despite:

✔️ A  modest GRE score of 311 
✔️ Applying in  Round 3 , the most competitive round
✔️ Having  10 years of work experience 
✔️ Coming from a  highly competitive tech applicant pool 
 
Last month, Tanu flew from Connecticut to Phoenix for an  in-person celebration . During her two-day stay, we celebrated her success through sightseeing, dining out, and long conversations, and also recorded a  special interview  at my office about her MBA journey.

The transcript of this  in-depth one-hour conversation  will be published in  two parts .

In the first part, Tanu shares insights into:

Admissions Summary  – 00:18 
  Academic and Professional Background  – 01:15 
  Leadership Experience & Rapid Career Growth  – 02:28 
  Motivation for an MBA / Career Goals  – 05:38 
  School Selection Strategy  – 07:45 
  Choosing Kellogg Over Other Admits  – 09:35 
  Test-Score Struggle & Resilience  – 11:06 
  Questionnaire for Brainstorming Ideas  – 15:06 
  The Most Challenging Essay  – 18:18

In the second part, we will cover:

Résumé Building  – 20:20 
  Recommendation Letters  – 22:07 
  Advice to Incoming Applicants  – 24:55 
  Differentiating as a Tech Professional  – 26:57 
  Interview Insights  – 30:40 
  Applying with 10 Years of Work Experience  – 34:13 
  Inner Strength: Yoga, Meditation, and Books  – 38:38 
  Key Factors Behind Her Success  – 48:36 
  Final Reflections: Words of Wisdom  – 50:42

Let’s dive into  Tanu’s story of resilience, hard work , and an  unshakable belief  that a higher power was guiding her through the journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVF6dYrxFko

Poonam:  Hello, Tanu! How are you?  
  
Tanu:  I am doing great. How are you? 
   
Poonam:  I am doing well too. I am so happy to have you here in Phoenix for an in-person celebration of your phenomenal success.  
   
🎓 Admissions Summary   
   
Poonam:  To give context to our viewers, Tanu Sharma worked with me on four MBA programs, and she got into three of them—one with a scholarship. The programs she got into are NYU Stern, Berkeley Haas, and Kellogg. Stern offered her a scholarship, but she is heading towards Kellogg, her dream school. Congratulations!  
  
Tanu:  Thank you so much. I think it has been an amazing journey. There were ups and downs, but everything was worth it, especially having you by my side to guide me as my mentor, so thank you so much. 
   
Poonam:  My pleasure. It has been a long journey for you. It took us almost six months to get through all this.  
  
Tanu:  Yes. 
   
🎓 Academic and Professional Background   
   
Poonam:  Let’s begin by having you tell our viewers about your academic and professional journey.  
  
Tanu:  I was born and brought up in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. It is a beautiful city, known as the City of Lakes. Since then, I have developed an absolute love for nature, having such amazing things around me. 
 
I did my undergraduate degree in Computer Science Engineering—Bachelor of Technology. After completing my undergrad, I immediately started working for Wipro Technologies, where I worked for about three and a half years. Then I moved to HCL Technologies, where I worked for about six months. 
 
I realized there was not a lot of progress for me, so I pivoted to Excel Services, which is my current employer. I have been working with them for about six years now, and I decided it was time to get my MBA. So here I am. 
   
💼 Leadership Experience & Rapid Career Growth   
   
Poonam:  You have managed people just two and a half years into your career and earned several fast-track promotions. That is not very common, so it is exceptional. Which leadership experiences have shaped you the most, and what specific mindset helped you rise so quickly in your career?  
  
Tanu:  I have leadership experiences that I learned through the leaders I had around me at a very early stage in my career. One thing I learned was to believe in people around you, even during phases when they are not performing well. 
 
Early in my career, I had an amazing leader whom I was reporting to. He had this unshakable faith in me that I could do more than what I was doing. He never gave up on me. That is what I learned from him. When I had new hires coming into the team and people reporting to me, I just made sure that before judging them, I gave them time to learn. If nobody else was providing that support, and there were expectations from someone else, I would just step in, take them under my umbrella, and teach them in a way that they could learn by example. 
 
Two things are very important to me: leading with empathy and leading by example. The more they see you in a certain setup, the more they learn how things can be handled and start developing their own instincts from there. But they must have a start, and if you can be a part of their journey, I think it is a great blessing. 
 
What really helped me secure those fast-track promotions was my curiosity to learn and grow, wherever and in whatever aspect of my life I was involved. I want to ensure I am giving my best and 100%. I do not like doing things half-heartedly. That is just one of my core values in life. 
 
I made sure that whatever I was assigned, I did it to the best of my capabilities and ensured that I was an asset to the team, someone who could find solutions, even in difficult times. That, I think, has been helpful. 
   
🎯 Motivation for an MBA / Career Goals   
   
Poonam:  Right. So, leading with empathy, leading by example, and putting in your best. These are the key traits of your leadership style. When did you start thinking about an MBA, and what are your career goals?  
  
Tanu:  I first started thinking about an MBA around five to six years into my career. I wanted to grow more and take on more strategic roles. I wanted to be in a top leadership position in a company, but at the same time, I did not want to leave tech. 
 
At that time, not many colleges were offering tech MBAs the way they are now. I saw people around me, even in my own family, who pivoted from tech to MBAs and moved into general management. So, I decided to stay rooted in tech and move up from there. 
 Recently, I realized I had hit a threshold. I could handle the technical aspects, but I wanted to understand what goes into a product or a company to help it grow. What drives product decisions? How do you measure impact? To be one of the top leaders, I have to learn those aspects too. That is when I realized I need business knowledge as well. I have handled the technical part so far; I need the business part now. So, I decided to pursue my MBA in Tech, and I am excited about it. 
 
As for my career goals, I am currently looking at product management roles where I have taken care of the technical part, but I need to learn about the business aspect for which I need an MBA.

🏫 School Selection Strategy  
   
Poonam:  Each school you applied to offered something you needed. What specifically attracted you to the four programs, Kellogg MBA, NYU Stern Tech MBA, Cornell Tech MBA, and Berkeley Haas?  
  
Tanu:  The amazing technical program that all these four schools offer was my main criterion. During my research, I found that not every top school offers a technical specialization. Cornell, Kellogg, Stern, and Berkeley Haas have it. And Haas is the number one program; it is consistently ranked number one. So, I ideally wanted to go in that direction. 
 
I did not care about rejections or acceptances or whether I should apply to ten schools just to get into one. I was sure: this is what I want, and this is what I am going ahead with. If it happens, it happens. If it does not, it does not. I did not want to be misaligned with my industry. I will apply only where I truly fit in.

🏆 Choosing Kellogg Over Other Admits  
   
Poonam:  You had your heart set on these four programs, and you were accepted into three of them. How is Kellogg the best choice for you among the three?  
  
Tanu:  While I was doing my research, a friend of mine who did a tech MBA in the United States advised me, “If you are going for a tech MBA, make sure the program includes an internship. It is a great way to gain experience and build toward a full-time job, ideally with a conversion opportunity.” That stayed with me. I want an internship, and a tech-focused program, and Kellogg offered both. I looked at their curriculum, their core business classes have been updated to include Artificial Intelligence. It is amazing to see that they are moving in that direction. 
   
Poonam:  And we are so glad you got into it.  
  
Tanu:  Yes, and it still feels surreal sometimes. 
   
📉 Test-Score Struggle & Resilience   
   
Poonam:  Let’s now talk about test scores, your struggles and the resilience it took to get through them. You took the GMAT twice, then switched to the GRE and got a modest score. That could discourage any applicant, especially when the struggle went on for a few months. It was difficult for you. What kept you going?  
  
Tanu:  When I moved to the United States, I had a big poster in my room that said, “Look at solutions, not problems.” 
 
I knew these were my challenges, but I was determined to apply in this cycle. I knew that if I waited any longer, I would cross the 10-year mark in my career. At that point, full-time programs may no longer consider me seriously. So, I told myself, “I am not quitting.” I sat down and analyzed: what are my strengths, apart from the test score? What would I bring to the table? 
 
The test score was just one aspect. I had strong leadership experience, an impressive professional track record, international experience, mentoring experience, and a history of being very active in extracurriculars. Why should I let a score define me? Instead, I chose to tell them who I am. That score is not a true reflection of my potential. I just believed that I could do it, and I went ahead. 
   
Poonam:  Yes. We even had to move your application from Round 2 to Round 3, which is the most competitive round when people are generally apprehensive about applying. I advised you to write an optional essay and be honest about your struggles with the GMAT and GRE. Then we demonstrated your quantitative skills through your professional accomplishments and all your certifications in advanced mathematics. That all worked. You have also been working in the United States for three years, which speaks to your verbal skills. All these accomplishments convinced the admission committee that you can handle the academic rigor of the program.  
  
Tanu:  Absolutely. Initially, I took it personally. I thought, “No, I must get the score. I am not submitting an optional essay. Why should I do that?” But then we made a last-minute decision. I told myself, “It is not working. Let’s address this in the optional essay. That is why they give you an optional essay, right?” I had to sit myself down and say, “It is okay. You have other things that speak for you. Relax. It is just a test.” So, we did that, and it worked. 
   
📝 Application Process: Questionnaire for brainstorming ideas   
   
Poonam:  Let’s talk about the application process. Self-reflection is a key component of the MBA application. Before we even started working on your résumé, I had you fill out that brainstorming questionnaire of 25 in-depth questions. How did it help you brainstorm your stories for the essays across different schools?  
  
Tanu:  I think we do not usually reflect on the events that have happened in our lives or the experiences we have gained over the years. Sitting with that 25-question document brought me closer to my roots. We often take our families for granted and don’t realize how much they bring into our lives. I remember when I was filling out the personal information section, I realized I am blessed to have such overachievers in my family. it made me reflect and ask, “What am I doing with my life?” That became another motivation for me to do better in life and pursue higher education. 
 
That questionnaire made me realize I have a strong background, and I can handle challenges. Reflecting on the professional aspects, looking back at stories about the challenges I faced, the achievements I’m proud of, the accomplishments that matter to me personally, everything brought back the right memories. This made it easier for me to write my essays. Everything was already there; I did not have to sit and think, “What should I write?” I had already done heavy lifting. I think I dedicated a week or so to the questionnaire. 
   
Poonam:  Sometimes people take even longer to complete it.  
  
Tanu:  Yes. But since I had poured so much into it already, I just needed to tailor it to what each school was asking. 
   
Poonam:  It was not just an idea-generation exercise; it helped capture the content required for all the essays. Many applicants tell me it feels like a journey of self-discovery.  
  
Tanu:  Yes, it sure is. 
   
📝 The Most Challenging Essay   
   
Poonam:  Of all the essay prompts, which one challenged you the most, and how did you finally crack it?  
  
Tanu:  Kellogg had quite a few essays- three main ones and some additional questions as well. That was a rigorous process. 
 
The most challenging one for me was the essay about a difficult decision I had to make in a professional setting. I had a story in mind, but it carried a little negativity. I was not happy with how things had unfolded. The most difficult part was portraying that experience respectfully and objectively. I had to avoid sounding bitter. I had to make it clear that, yes, it was a difficult decision, but I had to convey it gracefully. You advised me against writing anything negative. That was a learning moment for me. Whatever happens, you must describe it with grace and respect. 
   
Poonam:  That was a tough one for you. But we finally managed to do it. That is the sign of a true leader: look at things objectively and solve the problem. It is not always smooth sailing. You have to face challenges with courage and resilience.  
  
Stay tuned for Part 2  of this in-depth conversation, where Tanu shares insights on building a strong résumé, working with recommenders, preparing for interviews, and how she stood out as a senior tech applicant with 10 years of experience.

Connect with Tanu via  LinkedIn .

Admitted to Kellogg, Haas, and Stern (w/scholarship) - Part 1

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